Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

Location:  Boldrewood Campus
Salary:   £30,942 to £49,553 per annum
Full Time Fixed Term (until 19/01/2023)
Closing Date:  Sunday 15 Ausgust 2021
Interview Date:   To be confirmed
Reference:  1439321DA

Research Fellow in Computational modelling for UK national research programme into magnetic skyrmions

Skyrmions are excitations of matter whose occurrence and properties are mysterious, and which hold promise for technological deployment as highly efficient memory elements. The discovery of skyrmions in magnetic materials and of their self-organisation into a skyrmion lattice has made skyrmion physics arguably the hottest topic in magnetism.

This role is part of a major EPSRC-funded research programme which started in 2016 and to achieve a step-change in our understanding of skyrmions in magnetic materials, and to attempt to engineer them towards application. The programme is built around a consortium of five premier Universities, with input from international academic institutions and industrial partners. 

The project is led by Prof. Peter Hatton & Dr.Tom Lancaster (Durham), Prof. Paul Midgley FRS (Cambridge), Prof. Hans Fangohr & Dr. Ondrej Hovorka (Southampton), Prof. Geetha Balakrishnan and Dr MR Lees (Warwick). (https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/N032128/1)

The role is computational physics oriented to investigate the physics of skyrmions, such as their ordering, stability, excitations and their potential for use in devices, in close involvement with the experimental groups listed above, and in collaboration with international academic and industry partners.

To be successful you will have a PhD* or equivalent professional qualifications and experience in Computational Science, Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering or closely related subject area. 

Knowledge of simulation techniques such as Micromagnetics/Spin Dynamics/Metropolis Monte-Carlo and at least one open source simulation tool such as Ubermag, OOMMF, or mumax3 is required. Alternatively, a strong background in research software engineering combined with the willingness to engage with computational magnetism.  Solid programming skills are essential. Knowledge of Python and relevant libraries for simulation or data analysis and experience with other programming languages and software engineering methods (such as version control and testing) are desirable..

The strong collaborative and interdisciplinary aspect of the work – combined with the global Coronavirus situation – make very good communication skills and confidence using remote communication tools a prerequisite for this role. 

We value an appetite for learning new tools and skills, and the willingness of the successful candidate to integrate themselves into an existing and distributed team.

You will become part of the research group of Hans Fangohr (University of Southampton and Max Planck Institute for Structure and Dynamicrs of Matter) and Ondrej Hovorka (University of Southampton), and work closely with other staff and students of the Skyrmion programme grant from partner institutions and with national and international collaborators. The University of Southampton hosts the largest university owned Supercomputer in England, and provides a wealth of professional training and development opportunities.

Some more details are available at
http://fangohr.github.io/vacancies/programmegrant-2021.html

Please contact Ondrej Hovorka (o.hovorka@soton.ac.uk) or Hans Fangohr (hans.fangohr@mpsd.mpg.de) for informal queries.

This position is full time fixed term until 19/01/2023.

*Applications for Research Fellow positions will be considered from candidates who are working towards or nearing completion of a relevant PhD qualification.  The title of Research Fellow will be applied upon successful completion of the PhD.  Prior to the qualification being awarded the title of Senior Research Assistant will be given.

Application Procedure

You should submit your completed online application form at https://jobs.soton.ac.uk. The application deadline will be midnight on the closing date stated above. If you need any assistance, please call Kate Pounds (Recruitment Team) on +44 (0) 23 8059 5456. Please quote reference 1439321DA on all correspondence.